Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — Another week, another significant trade in the Canadian Football League. This one, perhaps the biggest yet.
The Roughriders and Argonauts have completed a trade that will see defensive end Ricky Foley head back to Toronto in exchange for former all-star linebacker Shea Emry who will head to the Saskatchewan.
Foley and Emry are the latest in an off-season trade trend that has seen high-profile players swap jerseys including receivers Fred Stamps and Maurice Price.
The trade may come as a bit of a surprise to Riders fans who saw the rush end sign a contract extension with the club just last month.
“Ricky Foley has always been an athletic and hardworking football player who continues to produce on the field”, said Argonauts General Manager Jim Barker in a statement Saturday. “He puts tremendous pressure on opposing quarterbacks which is a skill we believe will complement our defence very well. Ricky has won championships on every team for which he has played in this League, and many of our fans will remember him to be a key contributor to our 100th Grey Cup win. Toronto is his hometown and we are happy to have him back in Double Blue.”
Foley is coming off of a dominant 2014 campaign as a part of a relentless Riders front four. Last season, he matched a career-high in sacks (12) and recorded 54 tackles. The York University grad joined the Riders in 2013 as a free agent and helped them earn the 102nd Grey Cup, one year after doing the same in Toronto.
The aforementioned Grey Cup was in 2012 where Foley earned Most Valuable Canadian honours in the game in front of his home town. The Courtice, ON native spent three seasons in Toronto after starting his career with BC.
Emry joined the Argonauts in free agency of 2013 and despite having what some would call a quiet season in his lone year in Double Blue, finished with the second-most defensive tackles of his career (72). Emry was a standout linebacker in Montreal for six seasons before heading to Toronto, capturing two Grey Cups with the Alouettes.
Barker Continued, “We would like to thank Shea Emry for his time and professionalism as a member of the Argonauts, and we wish him the very best in the future.”
More to come …
